The AFC The Buddy Nix Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings: "I'm a firm believer in perspective, however -- and before fans start dreaming of the playoffs, it's important to note that the Bills have had a lot of help in these first three games." The Jeff Ireland Steve Svekis of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Daniel Thomas has piled up 239 yards (202 rushing and 37 receiving), better than Karim Abdul Jabbar's 158 in 1996. He is averaging an excellent 4.9 yards per carry." The Jonathan Kraft Ian Rapoport of The Boston Herald: "Losing is not an accepted reality in the Patriots locker room. They suffered just two regular-season defeats last year, and neither one included washing away a 21-point lead." The Mike Tannenbaum Christian Red of The New York Daily News: "After getting whacked in the face by Oakland linebacker Kamerion Wimbley during the third quarter of Sunday's loss, Mark Sanchez suffered a "minor break" of his nose and will wear a facemask for protection." The Ozzie Newsome Bruce Raffel of Baltimore Beatdown: “When the Baltimore Ravens brought in veteran WR Lee Evans, a lot of fans felt the team had the perfect complement to possession receiver Anquan Boldin. One of the main reasons the Ravens traded for Evans during Training Camp was that they were not comfortable going with rookie WR Torrey Smith opposite Boldin as starters at wide receiver.” The Mike Brown Anthony Cosenza of Cincy Jungle: “He's notorious for it. How many times in the Marvin Lewis era have the Bengals received the ball right before the half and decided to do nothing but take a knee with it?” The Tom Heckert Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature: “As we all know, the illness to [Peyton] Hillis paved the way for backup Montario Hardesty to make his first career start. [Pat] Shurmur praised Hardesty's effort, but also admits that went over the anticipated number of carries they had for him. "We wanted to play him more, but not 61 snaps," Shurmur said.” The Kevin Colbert Michael Bean of Behind The Steel Curtain: “Don't get me wrong, the Steelers will have a hard time repeating the success they enjoyed in 2008 and 2010 if they can't force more turnovers on defense. And it goes without saying that the offense has to eliminate some of the costly mistakes if they hope to not negate otherwise respectable performances offensively.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “They have to find a way to beat the good teams in a close game. I know we have been giving the Texans props for hanging with a championship caliber team, but the bottom line is, hanging with a good team, but not overcoming them, is starting to become too common.” The Chris Polian Nick Pease of 18 to 88: “The key criteria for the Indianapolis Colts should have been someone who could be acquired relatively cheaply (in both a trade and salary), someone who could fill the void for one year, and preferably, someone with at least some NFL starting experience. These factors eliminate names like Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, Bruce Gradkowski, or Matt Leinart.” The Gene Smith Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country: “The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive game plan on Sunday was way too conservative, I think that much most of us can agree. Sunday after the game, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter talked about the conditions of the game being a big factor.” The Mike Reinfeldt August West of Music City Miracles: “If you've been following this team since it arrived in Nashvile, you really shouldn't be surprised. This is kind of what happens to Titans WRs. Whether it's Tyrone Calico's knees, Kevin Dyson's hamstrings, David Givens' knee, Yancey Thigpen's everything... for some reason the football gods have decreed that we can't have nice things in the passing game.” The Brian Xanders Tim Lynch of Mile High Report: “With the absence of organized team activities and offseason workouts, John Fox is still going through a feeling-out process with the Broncos.” The Scott Pioli Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride: “It's always difficult to tell who is calling the plays for the Kansas City Chiefs offense (from the TV or the press box) because there are multiple people involved in the operation and they're all talking over a headset, one of which goes into QB Matt Cassel's ear.” The Al Davis Marcus Allen Krause of Silver and Black Pride: “I am not normally a pessimist but it sure felt like same old Raiders watching Ro decide to lolly gag to the sidelines instead of cover the middle of the field for the game losing touchdown against the Bills. However, the old Raiders would have come out and gotten demolished by this NY team. Anything but us getting demolished is what happened. This was the bully team we have heard so much about! We won this game because we dominated the line of scrimmage.” The Dean Spanos Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union-Tribune: “The National Football League must have a post-lockout hangover, because quarterbacks have been toying with it as if it were tipsy. The forward pass has never been more brazenly forward or met with so little resistance. Three weeks into the season, six teams are averaging 300 yards passing.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News: “Cowboys center Phil Costa was having trouble with the snap count, which resulted in quarterback Tony Romo having to scramble to recover a wild snap on first-and-10 with just under three minutes to play. It was the third time Monday that Romo was forced to retrieve a snap that he wasn't expecting.” The Jerry Reese Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News: “Antrel Rolle doesn’t think he lost his cool or his head at the end of the first half on Sunday. In fact, he knew exactly what he was doing. And never mind that all his chirping and eventually his scuffle with Eagles TE Brent Celek resulted in a 15-yard penalty that lead to an Eagles’ touchdown. One day later, the brash safety believes he absolutely did the right thing.” The Howie Roseman Bleeding Green Nation: “Brian Rolle, a rookie sixth-round pick, saw an increase in snaps in the base defense and looked impressive in camp as a coverage linebacker. At 5-9, Rolle could be a liability against the run but the team can’t do any worse right now.” The Bruce Allen Mike Jones of The Washington Post: “Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley pulled down a 17-yard reception on the opening drive of the game to record his 423rd career catch. With that reception, Cooley moved into 19th on the NFL’s all-time list for catches by a tight end. Cooley entered the game tied with former Cowboy Jay Novacek for 19th.” The Jerry Angelo Brad Briggs of The Chicago Tribune: “There are plenty of Bears ties in this game, and they start with [Ron] Rivera, who was a second-round pick by the Bears in 1984 and served as Lovie Smith's defensive coordinator from 2004 to 2006 before he was abruptly run off after Super Bowl XLI.” The Martin Mayhew Sean Yuille of Pride of Detroit: “Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley practiced last Friday for the first time since breaking his foot way back at the start of August. While it was a good sign that he was able to hit the field, the thinking was he wouldn't be able to make his game debut for the Lions for at least another couple of weeks.” The Mark Murphy Kareem Copeland of The Green Bay Press-Gazette: “The Green Bay Packers lead the NFL in rush defense, having allowed just 55 yards per game through the first three weeks.” The Mark Wilf Christopher Gates of Daily Norseman: “So, the Minnesota Vikings haven't been very good in the second halves of ball games this year. We know this. From what I can see, there are two big reasons as to why this is, and they're both pretty closely connected.” The Thomas Dimitroff Caleb Rutherford of The Falcoholic: “I sincerely hope every single member of that football team from Arthur Blank down to the person that spit shines Matt Ryan's shoes is embarrassed to call themselves a Falcon. For months since April, all we have heard is explosive this, explosive that, yet our offense could be more akin to an M-80 than a stick of dynamite.” The Marty Hurney James Dator of Cat Scratch Reader: “If you're like me and ever seen the NFL series of action figures at department stores you've probably wondered "Why in the world did they make an Adrian Peterson action figure?". To me it just never made sense, but now McFarlane toys have announced they are releasing a Cam Newton figure all of it makes sense... ludicrous, ridiculous sense.” The Mickey Loomis Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune: “The Saints presented former player Steve Gleason with a ring from their Super Bowl XLIV championship on Monday night in an emotional ceremony at a private party in New Orleans.” The Mark Dominik Bucs Nation: “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have spent three years building a new defense, and they may just have seen what it is capable of on Sunday. They've seen glimpses before - against the San Francisco 49ers last year, for instance. But this is the first time it has beaten a good offense. Dominated, even.” The Rod Graves Seth Pollack of SB Arizona: “The Arizona Cardinals are convinced they beat themselves in Seattle more than the Seahawks won the game. They point to any number of mistakes from offensive players not lining up in the right spot, to blown tackles and gap assignments to missed field goals. It was a game they felt they could have won and if you believe the talk, that they will win later in the season.” The Billy Devaney Turf Show Times: “The St. Louis Rams look horrible on the field. There isn't a way around this fact. Going into the season, it was known that the Rams had a hard schedule. It was known that the Rams didn't have a long time to work on their new offense. It was also known that the vets would take some time to adjust.” The Trent Baalke David Fucillo of Niners Nation: “One of the more "controversial" plays of the 49ers-Bengals game came with 6:40 left in the third quarter. The 49ers faced a second and goal at the ten yard line. The 49ers ran a fake toss to the right, Alex Smith rolled to his left, and after looking for an open man, Smith fired a pass high into the back of the end zone.” The John Schneider Danny Kelly of Field Gulls: “The Seahawks' starting safeties are both in their second NFL season. Kam Chancellor is 23 years old. Earl Thomas is 13 months younger. So much for growing pains, at least on Sunday when Thomas and Chancellor turned in some of the more notable plays in the Seahawks' 13-10 win over the Cardinals.”

Buffalo 34, New England 31 Trench Counter: Bills +4.4, Patriots -4.4 The New England Patriots (2-1) jumped out to a 21-0 lead thanks to three early touchdown passes by Tom Brady, but the Buffalo Bills (3-0) held strong and outscored the visiting team 24-10 in the second half. Brady added a fourth touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but the NFL's passing leader also threw four interceptions. Ryan Fitzpatrick stood tall against Brady, going 27-for-40 with 369 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Brady threw three interceptions in the second half and Drayton Florence returned one of them 27 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth period. Wes Welker had a huge game, catching 16 passes for 217 yards and two scores, but the balanced offense of the Bills came out on top. N.Y. Giants, 29, Philadelphia 16 Trench Counter: Giants +9.9, Eagles -9.9 The New York Giants (2-1) scored a pair of touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters to hand the Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) a damaging loss at Lincoln Financial Field. The Giants beat the Eagles at their own game, scoring touchdowns on three plays of more than 25 yards. Philadelphia had a 25-14 edge in first downs, but New York’s quick strikes gave them an advantage on Sunday afternoon. Eli Manning led the Giants to a quick 14-0 lead in the first period, but the Eagles rallied to score 16 unanswered points to take control of the game late in the third. Manning took the game over again, however, and the Eagles lost Michael Vick to a broken right hand in the final stanza. Manning connected with Victor Cruz three times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. The win was New York’s first against Philadelphia in six tries. San Francisco 13, Cincinnati 8 Trench Counter: 49ers +0.8, Bengals -0.8 The San Francisco 49ers (2-1) struggled to run the football with Frank Gore, but they were able to edge the Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) nonetheless. The 49ers held the Bengals to two field goals and a safety, while scoring the game’s lone touchdown on a seven-yard scamper by Kendall Hunter. San Francisco rushed 29 times, but averaged just 1.7 yards per carry. Alex Smith was solid, going 20-for-30 with 201 yards, hitting Vernon Davis eight times for 114 yards on nine targets. Cincinnati rookie Andy Dalton had a rough afternoon, throwing two interceptions, but nine of the team’s 14 first downs came through the air. The Bengals averaged four yards per carry, but their three turnovers kept the 49ers in control. San Francisco had the ball for more than 35 minutes at Paul Brown Stadium. Cleveland 17, Miami 16 Trench Counter: Browns -3.2, Dolphins +3.2 Colt McCoy led the Cleveland Browns (2-1) on a late touchdown drive for the win against the Miami Dolphins (0-3). Trailing 16-10, McCoy and the Browns went 80 yards on 13 plays in less than three minutes to record a comeback victory. He finished the game with 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Cleveland was without Peyton Hillis (ill), but Montario Hardesty picked up the slack with 14 carries for 67 yards. Miami had more first downs and more yards per pass (8.0 to 5.4), but they were 4-for-13 on third down and committed one more turnover than Cleveland. Daniel Thomas was their workhouse with 23 carries for 95 yards, while Reggie Bush tallied 24 yards on 11 attempts. Brandon Marshall, who has been clamoring for more attention, had four receptions for 43 yards on seven targets. Tennessee 17, Denver 14 Trench Counter: Titans -1.7, Broncos +1.7 Matt Hasselbeck helped lead the Tennessee Titans (2-1) to a close victory over the Denver Broncos (1-2) with 311 passing yards and a pair of touchdown strikes. Chris Johnson disappointed yet again, rushing 13 times for 21 yards, but Tennessee controlled the game through the air. They averaged 8.2 yards per pass, while Kyle Orton struggled (4.4 yards per throw). Hasselbeck connected with Daniel Graham, a former Bronco, for a four-yard touchdown with less than five minutes left in regulation for what turned out to be the game-winning score. Orton threw two interceptions and he got little help in the backfield. Willis McGahee rushed 22 times for just 52 yards. The win was big for the Titans, who saw star receiver Kenny Britt get carted off the field with a knee injury. Detroit 26, Minnesota 23 (OT) Trench Counter: Lions -2.3, Vikings +2.3 Trailing 20-0 at the half, Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions (3-0) charged all the way back to top the Minnesota Vikings (0-3) in overtime. The Lions were awful on the ground, rushing a total of 19 times for 20 yards (1.1 average), but Stafford was excellent through the air. He finished 32-for-46 with 378 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Calvin Johnson. The Vikings averaged 5.7 yards per carry, but just 5.3 yards per pass as Donovan McNabb was 22-for-36 with 211 yards. Adrian Peterson, who totaled 78 yards, had a 43-yard rush that doubled Detroit’s entire ground game. Ryan Longwell hit a 49-yard field goal with 1:11 left in regular to force overtime, but Jason Hansen answered less than two minutes into overtime with a 32-yarder to win the game. New Orleans 40, Houston 33 Trench Counter: Saints +1.1, Texans -1.1 The Houston Texans (2-1) led 26-17 early in the fourth quarter, but allowed the New Orleans Saints (2-1) to score 23 points in the final ten minutes to record a come-from-behind win. Drew Brees led the comeback with three touchdowns passes in the final period. He finished with 370 yards and two interceptions to go along with his scoring strikes. The teams were very equal on the ground, but New Orleans had six more first downs and weathered Matt Schaub’s early hot passing. He had 373 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Ben Tate filled in for Arian Foster (hamstring) with 82 yards on 19 carries. Houston’s four possessions in the fourth quarter ended with a punt, an interception, a touchdown and a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, New Orleans scored touchdowns on their final three drives. Carolina 16, Jacksonville 10 Trench Counter: Panthers +0.1, Jaguars -0.1 Cam Newton didn’t have another 400-yard passing game, but he did get his first NFL victory as the Carolina Panthers (1-2) edged the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) in a game marred by heavy downpours. Newton threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, while fellow rookie Blaine Gabbert went 12-for-21 with 139 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was tackled in the end zone by Carolina’s Greg Hardy for the first two points of the game. The difference turned out to be Jacksonville’s inability to score in the second half as they led 10-5 at halftime thanks to a 36-yard pass by Gabbert to Mike Thomas. Both teams averaged 3.8 yards per carry as Maurice Jones-Drew starred with 24 carries for 122 yards. Gabbert actually threw deeper at times than Newton in his first NFL start. The Jaguars averaged 6.1 yards per pass, while the Panthers had a tally of just 4.6 yards per attempt. Newton was not sacked. Oakland 34, N.Y. Jets 24 Trench Counter: Raiders +6.4, Jets -6.4 A sexy pick for an upset this week, the Oakland Raiders (2-1) shocked the New York Jets (2-1) in California. The Jets led 17-7 midway through the second quarter, but the Raiders outscored New York 27-7 over the remainder of the game. The Jets were 0-for-2 on fourth down and couldn’t stop Darren McFadden on the ground. McFadden tallied 171 yards on 19 carries for a 9.0 average and two touchdowns. Jason Campbell also managed a good game, going 18-for-27 with 156 yards and zero turnovers. Meanwhile, the Jets lost the ball twice (interception by Mark Sanchez, fumble by Shonn Greene). Sanchez finished with 369 yards and two touchdowns as New York tried to throw their way back in the game. The Jets scored on 60% of their red zone trips. San Diego 20, Kansas City 17 Trench Counter: Chargers +5.7, Chiefs -5.7 After a scoreless first quarter, the San Diego Chargers (2-1) scored 10 points in the second quarter and held off the Kansas City Chiefs (0-3). The Chiefs had just 13 first downs, but Philip Rivers threw two costly interceptions. Ryan Mathews was the offensive star for the Chargers, rushing 21 times for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns. San Diego had 123 more yards than Kansas City and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes. The Chargers were 8-for-14 on third down, but the Chiefs outscored them 17-10 in the second half. Matt Cassel and Co. scored on three straight drives other the third and fourth quarters, but a missed 38-yard field goal in the first quarter provided to make the difference. Baltimore 37, St. Louis 7 Trench Counter: Ravens +27.2, Rams -27.2 The Baltimore Ravens (2-1) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back against the St. Louis Rams (0-3) at the Edwards Jones Dome. The Ravens averaged eight yards per pass as Joe Flacco connected with rookie receiver Torrey Smith three times for touchdowns. Smith finished with five catches for 152 yards. With the game in hand, Baltimore ran the ball rushed 26 times for 168 yards (6.5 per carry). The Rams seemingly couldn’t get out of their own way. They were whistled for eight penalties for 117 yards and they averaged more yards per rush (4.3) than per pass (4.1). Steven Jackson was active, but limited. He totaled 32 yards on four carries, while Cadillac Williams handled the load with 75 yards on 18 touches. Sam Bradford struggled, going 16-for-32 with 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Green Bay 27, Chicago 17 Trench Counter: Packers +14.5, Bears -14.5 The defending-champion Green Bay Packers (3-0) edged the Chicago Bears (1-2) in another pass-heavy game. Both teams averaged more than 7.5 yards per pass and Aaron Rodgers starred with 297 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Jermichael Finley caught all three of Rodgers’ scoring strikes. Jay Cutler had 302 yards and two touchdowns, but two costly interceptions. Chicago was penalized 10 times for 70 yards, but Green Bay didn’t get any first downs via penalty. However, the Packers did dominate time-of-possession (37:29). Cutler was sacked three times and hit on four other occasions. Seattle 13, Arizona 10 Trench Counter: Seahawks +2.6, Cardinals -2.6 The Seattle Seahawks (1-2) got their first win of the season, against the Arizona Cardinals (1-2), thanks to a third-quarter scramble by Tarvaris Jackson. The quarterback was just 18-for-31 for 171 yards and an interception as a passer, but he ran four times for 20 total yards. Sidney Rice, making his debut for Seattle, had eight catches for 109 yards. Arizona had fewer penalties, more first downs, total yards and yards per pass, but Kolb threw two interceptions in Seattle territory. The Seahawks won the close game despite punting on their final five drives. Tampa Bay 16, Atlanta 13 Trench Counter: Buccaneers +1.4, Falcons -1.4 The Atlanta Falcons (1-2) scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to put some fear into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1), but Raheem Morris held on to beat the divisional rival for the first time. Josh Freeman had 180 yards and two interceptions, but a one-yard run by the quarterback and three Connor Barth field goals were enough. Matt Ryan awoke from an early slumber to finish with 330 yards, a touchdown and an interception, with Roddy White (nine catches for 140 yards) and Julio Jones (six grabs for 115 yards) starring. Tampa Bay limited Michael Turner, holding him to 20 yards on 11 touches. As a team, the Falcons averaged just two yards per rushing attempt. Pittsburgh 23, Indianapolis 20 Trench Counter: Steelers +2.6, Colts -2.6 The Indianapolis Colts (0-3) put up an amazing fight, but the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) came away victorious thanks to a field goal in the final moments. Pittsburgh had five more first downs and averaged 9.2 yards per pass, but they struggled on the ground and committed three turnovers. The Colts lost Kerry Collins (concussion) and were forced to go with Curtis Painter late in the game. Indianapolis didn't click offensively, but their defense forced an interception and two fumbles by Ben Roethlisberger, one of which was returned 47 yards for a touchdown by Jamaal Anderson in the second quarter. Dallas 18, Washington 16 Trench Counter: Cowboys +1.3, Redskins -1.3 The Dallas Cowboys (2-1) edged the Washington Redskins (2-1) in a Monday night game that featured nine field goals, including six by Dallas rookie Dan Bailey. The Cowboys were more efficient offensively, but they couldn't convert in Washington territory and failed to score a touchdown. Tony Romo played well despite a rib/lung injury, going 22-for-36 with 255 yards and one interception. Felix Jones helped Dallas move the chains with 14 carries for 115 yards, including a 40-yard dash. The Redskins scored the game's only touchdown on a 1-yard pass from Rex Grossman to Tim Hightower in the third quarter, but they couldn't keep the Cowboys out of field goal range most of the night. Each team punted just twice in Texas. Washington was limited on the ground, totaling 65 yards on 22 carries for a 3.0 average.

Cameron Marshall ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns to help Arizona State end an 11-game losing streak to USC with a 43-22 win over the No. 23 Trojans on Saturday night. "Cam was an absolute beast," said Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler, who threw for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Marshall was questionable against USC after turning his ankle in Arizona State's error-filled 17-14 loss at Illinois.

Bryant Moniz set a Hawaii record and tied an NCAA record by throwing seven touchdown passes in the first half against UC Davis on Saturday night. Moniz led the Warriors to a 49-0 lead before sitting out the second half. He finished 30 of 40 for 424 yards, a school record for yards passing in a half, and added five carries for 50 yards.

Playing with a fractured rib, Tony Romo hit Jesse Holley on a 77-yard completion on the Cowboys' first play of OT that set up Dan Bailey's winning 19-yard field goal, and Dallas rallied for a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Auburn certainly misses Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton. It may miss star defensive tackle Nick Fairley even more. No. 21 Auburn's luck ended Saturday along with its 17-game winning streak as Clemson piled up 624 yards in beating the defending national champions 38-24.

Tom Brady shook off a rare turnover to throw for a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker, and the Patriots started with a victory for the eighth consecutive season Monday night by beating the Dolphins 38-24, according to an ESPN.com report.

Sebastian Janikowski tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal and the Raiders beat the Broncos 23-20 Monday night in a game between the AFC West rivals. "I had a dream I broke the record and it was here in Denver," Janikowski said. "The ball really carries here."

The Bills dominated the Chiefs on Sunday, handing Kansas City a 41-7 loss, the worst Week 1 defeat in the team's history. "We're not there yet," Bills coach Chan Gailey warned after the game. "I told the team that. I do think we are improved over last year and I thought we'd play well. I believe in our men, and they went out and did some very good things today." Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdown passes, while C.J. Spiller added a fifth touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Aaron Rodgers came out on top in a memorable opening-night duel with Drew Brees, and the Packers made a goal-line stand on the final play of the game to beat the Saints 42-34 on Thursday night. With the Saints on the 1-yard line, Clay Matthews and safety Morgan Burnett led a swarm of Packers defenders who stopped Saints rookie running back Mark Ingram short of the goal line.